Yoshiya Arashiyama (Kyoto): Certified-Halal Omi Beef by the Togetsukyo Bridge

🟢 Certified Halal What does this label mean?
Last verified: July 8, 2026

Right next to Arashiyama’s famous Togetsukyo Bridge, this 80-year-old restaurant did the work most never do: a year of preparation for Kyoto Halal Council certification (2016), a separated kitchen operation, and a Japanese-style prayer room with wudu facilities on site. The star is Omi beef — one of Japan’s three great wagyu brands — as shabu-shabu or sukiyaki, in the middle of Kyoto’s most-visited scenery.

What We Verified

• Certified by the Kyoto Halal Council since March 2016 — re-confirmed on the council’s official client list. Checked July 8, 2026.
• Separated kitchen operation — the owner describes dividing kitchen space from the regular menu under the council’s detailed checks (feature interview).
• Prayer room and wudu inside the restaurant — a Japanese-style prayer room, per the same interview. (Note: since 2025 there is also a separate free prayer space nearby run by a different company — a sign of how Muslim-friendly this neighborhood is becoming, but distinct from Yoshiya’s own facilities.)
• Vegan and gluten-free requests accommodated — stated in the interview; treat as request-based, not a standing vegan menu.
• Extra touches — a Muslim-staff-supervised spicy dipping sauce, and Japanese-pattern hijab souvenirs.

What We Could Not Confirm

• Halal course prices (the general menu runs roughly ¥1,400–5,300; course pricing unconfirmed — ask).
• Hours — sources range from 9:30 to 11:00 opening and 17:00–17:30 closing; it’s a daytime restaurant either way. Call ahead for dinner plans: 075-871-0448.
• Whether alcohol is served to general customers.
• Reservation policy for the halal dining room.

What to Order

Omi beef shabu-shabu or sukiyaki — the halal-certified take on Japan’s oldest wagyu brand. Lighter set meals available at lunch prices.

Useful Phrases

出汁は昆布と椎茸のみですか?
Dashi wa konbu to shīitake nomi desu ka? — “Is the stock made only from kelp and shiitake?”

みりん・料理酒・お酒は使っていますか?
Mirin, ryōrishu, osake wa tsukatte imasu ka? — “Do you use mirin, cooking sake, or alcohol?”

ハラール(またはヴィーガン)対応のコースはありますか?
Harāru (mata wa vīgan) taiō no kōsu wa arimasu ka? — “Do you have a halal (or vegan) course?”

Restaurant Information

Map

The Year of Preparation

The number that struck us in Yoshiya’s story is the preparation window: a year of work before the shop was certified in 2016. What that year involved, as documented in a feature interview the shop later gave, was not just paperwork. It was the physical division of the kitchen into halal and non-halal working spaces, the sourcing of new suppliers for beef, seasonings, and cookware, the installation of the prayer room and wudu station, and the training of staff on new operating protocols. This is what commitment to certification actually looks like, and it’s the reason Yoshiya has a green Certified Halal label on our site while so many others don’t. The shop’s location — next to Togetsukyo Bridge, arguably Kyoto’s most-photographed spot — makes it accessible for exactly the international visit it was rebuilt for. If you’re doing the classic Arashiyama route (bamboo grove, temple, boat, bridge), lunch here is the geographically natural stop.

Follow the Shop Directly

The most current photography of any restaurant comes from the restaurant itself. Here’s where Kyoto Arashiyama Yoshiya posts.

📷 Instagram · @yoshiya_arashiyama · See the shop’s own photos →

Please double-check before you visit. Restaurant menus and policies can change without notice. This listing was verified on the date shown above using the sources described in How We Verify. If your requirements are strict, please confirm directly with the restaurant — and if you spot something outdated, let us know. Full disclaimer here.